Many of you who are in self-esteem cult won’t have the courage and patience to finish reading this article. May God supply you that courage to kill your SELF so that Christ may live in you!
In this article, SEVB stands for Self-Esteem Version Bible.
BIBLE: Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone”. (Mark 10:18)
SEVB: You are all essentially good. In fact so worthy and precious that Jesus died for you. (Mark 10:18)
BIBLE:: When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:25:26)
SEVB: When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is possible if he chooses God but God has done what he could do; now he is helpless and looking at man’s sovereign choice expectantly. (Matt 19:25:26)
BIBLE:: None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. (Romans 3:11)
SEVB: Many are righteous, yes, many are; many understand; many seek for God (so church service should be seeker friendly and one that attracts them. (Romans 3:11)
BIBLE:: All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” . (Romans 3:12)
SEVB: They just have identity crisis; they are worthy worthy worthy; they do good, many of them.” . (Romans 3:12)
BIBLE:: and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans: 3:17-18)
SEVB: they are looking for peace with God.” “They love and seek God.” (Romans: 3:17-18)
BIBLE:: you were dead in your transgressions and sins, (Ephesians 2:1)
SEVB : you had identity crisis; you just needed right self image and self esteem, (Ephesians 2:1)
BIBLE:: Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, (James 1:18)
SEVB: By our permission and cooperation, he brought us forth by the word of truth, (James 1:18)
BIBLE:: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you (John 15:16)
SEVB: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you. (John 15:16)
BIBLE:: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. (John 6:44)
SEVB: You can exercise your free will and come to me. Father has no role in it. (John 6:44)
BIBLE:: So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luke 17:10)
SEVB: So you also, when you have done all that you were requested, say, ‘We are worthy worthy worthy; we have done our privileged work.’” (Luke 17:10)
BIBLE:: Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matt 16:24)
SEVB: Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him embrace a healthy self esteem and take up his privileges and walk with me. (Matt 16:24)
BIBLE:: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)
SEVB: Blessed are the self esteemed ones, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)
BIBLE: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (It is assumed that people are by nature self lovers. (Matt 22:39)
SEVB: ‘Love yourself very much so that you may love others.’ How can you love others unless you love yourself? (Matt 22:39)
BIBLE: It is rare indeed for anyone to die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners,Christ died for us. 9 (Romans 5:7-8)
SEVB: It is rare indeed for anyone to die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 That’s the reason while we were worthy, important, lovable and valuable Christ died for us. 9 (Romans 5:7-8)
BIBLE:: as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)
SEVB: as many as exercised their free will and chose God, believed. (Acts 13:48)
BIBLE: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)
SEVB: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, of blood, of the will of the flesh, of the will of man, by giving permission to God to give them new birth. (John 1:12-13)
BIBLE:: 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.
SEVB: 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame; he knows that we are gold.
BIBLE: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17-18)
SEVB: But thanks be to yourselves, that you who once had identity crisis have become obedient from the heart to the standard of healthy self esteem to which you committed yourself, and, having become free from low self image, have become masters of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17-18)
BIBLE:: For I know that nothing good dwells in me. (Romans 7:18)
SEVB: I am so valuable and worthy that Jesus couldn’t help but give His life for me.
BIBLE:: Apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
SEVB: I can believe you without you. After all, God can help only those who help themselves. I have a free will to choose or reject you. My will is not bound to my inborn sin in which I was conceived. (John 15:5)
BIBLE:: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalm 51:5)
SEVB: I am by birth good and precious; my mother conceived me in self esteem and self worth.
BIBLE: Job who was called blameless and upright (obviously it wasn’t his inherent goodness, but Christ’s righteousness imputed to him and the fact that he was bearing fruit worthy of repentance) in the 1st chapter. In the 42nd chapter Job said this,
I had heard of you, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
(In the Hebrew, “I loathe myself. I despise myself, everything that I am. All that I am apart from God, all that I am in my humanness, anything and everything about me is so stained and tainted with fallenness and corruption and sin, I hate everything about myself.– John MacArthur)
SEVB: Job said this,
I had heard of you, but now my eye sees you; therefore I feel proud of myself and enjoy my self esteem.
BIBLE:: It was Isaiah who said when he saw God, “Woe is me for I am ruined. I’m literally disintegrating before my very eyes. My whole self image is disintegrating. It’s going to pieces.” Because in the presence of God he saw himself only as a wretched sinner, pronounced damnation on himself because he said he was a man of unclean lips. (John MacArthur)
SEVB: Wow, I’ve seen God and found my self worth. How important I am that Jesus died for me. I exult in my self-image.
BIBLE:: Peter said, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5:8) When he was aware that Jesus was God, He said, “Go away. You shouldn’t even be around me. You shouldn’t even be near me.”
SEVB: Peter said, “Thanks for coming to me, Jesus. I had an identity crisis. Now I understand, I am so precious that you came looking for me. I will build my self esteem in the light of this fact.” (Luke 5:8)
BIBLE:: But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ (Luke 18:13)
SEVB: But the tax collector, coming closer, lifted up his eyes to heaven and exulted in his self-importance and said, ‘God, thanks for responding properly to my preciousness. (Luke 18:13)
BIBLE:: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)
SEVB: “You are not a slave of sin; nor dead in sin. Your problem is that you don’t know Daddy. Your problem is that you are not realizing self importance. You see you are so precious to your heavenly Daddy that He sacrificed your Big B, Jesus for you.” (Luke 5:32)
BIBLE:: And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin. (John 16:8)
SEVB: And when he comes, he will convict the world of low self-esteem. (John 16:8)
BIBLE:: Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)
SEVB: Whoever loves his SELF will live, and whoever loves himSELF in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)
BIBLE:: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt 22:37-40)
SEVB: Jesus replied: “‘Love yourself with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Don’t you see the fact that you can’t love God and others if you don’t love yourself. Please guys, love yourself as much as you can; that’s the only way to love others. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on this one commandment.” (Matt 22:37-40)
BIBLE:: Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)
SEVB: Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 “I know that you are not sovereign in salvation
Your son paid the price for all sinners, but can’t ultimately save them unless they permit you. Indeed, sovereign man can thwart some of your feeble purposes. (Job 42:2)
BIBLE: but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(Romans 5:8)
SEVB: but God shows his love for us in that Jesus died to prove our self worth. (Romans 5:8)
BIBLE:: For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36)
SEVB: For from him and through him but for man are all things. To man be the glory forever! Amen.
BIBLE: What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— (Romans 9:22-23)
SEVB: No, God does not want to be glorified for His wrath (justice). He wants to show His love only. (Romans 9:22-23)
BIBLE: though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Romans 9:11-13)
SEVB: they were born and had made a choice of choosing or rejecting Christ—in order that man’s sovereignty may continue, not because of election but because of him who makes a decision for Christ— 12she was told, “Both will be equal.” 13As it is written, “I loved both Jacob and Esau”
BIBLE:: “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” (Romans 11:35)
SEVB: “No, God owes us everlasting love and a chance to choose Him. After all, He is a captive of His love. (Romans 11:35)
BIBLE: For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,b but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:15)
SEVB: For he says to Moses, “I have compassion on all.” 16 So then it depends not on my will, but on human will or exertion. (Romans 9:15)
BIBLE: “I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!” (Ezekiel 36:32)
SEVB: I am doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be self esteemed and enjoy your self-image, O house of Israel!” (Ezekiel 36:32)
BIBLE:: For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)
SEVB: Since I am valuable, Big B, let me know my self-esteem, for my mistake is just not knowing Daddy. (Psalm 25:11)
BIBLE:: Yet he saved them for his name’s sake (Psalm 106:8)
SEVB: He fulfilled His obligation of saving them because they were so important to Him. (Psalm 106:8)
BIBLE:: “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me?” (Romans:7:24)
SEVB: “O worthy man that I am, would that I could only see it better and discover my self-worth!”
BIBLE:: Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 41:14)
SEVB: Do not be afraid, you the very embodiment of greatness, Jacob, staggering Israel, do not fear, for I help those who help themselves,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 41:14)
BIBLE: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
SEVB: But you are a race that chose God, by nature a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people that God is privileged to have, that you may proclaim your own self worth because you came out of low self-esteem into his high/healthy self esteem. (1 Peter 2:9)
BIBLE: I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalms 139:14)
SEVB: I praise myself, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful am I; my soul knows it very well. (Psalms 139:14)
BIBLE: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
SEVB: for all have forgotten self worth and fall short of self esteem. (Romans 3:23)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Self Esteem Cult,
May God open your eyes as you meditate on this article!
If any verse seems to tell you that you are important, it’s not telling that you are important. It’s just telling that you have received God’s undeserved infinite love instead of damnation. Jesus didn’t die to prove your worth, you wretched sinner! He died precisely because you are totally worthless because of your sin. In Him, you have infinite undeserved blessings! God loved you because He wanted to love you; not because you were so precious; not even because your misery galvanized Him into compassion. He has mercy on you because He wants to.
For He says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Romans 9:15)
Mercy or grace is, by its very definition and nature, something totally undeserved. You can’t claim it. The giver of grace or mercy may choose to save one and leave out another as He indeed does:
For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[g] 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. (Romans 9:17-18)
With love
Pankaj
Nice article
Thank you bhaiya